“My introduction to all this great music and to ‘the music business’ came from hanging around, and eventually, working at independent record stores. Nothing beats browsing in your favorite store, listening to music, finding something new or old that you’ve been searching for, all that. And without these stores, there’s just no way Wilco would still be around."

- Jeff Tweedy

"Ever since I was 12 years old, when my fascination and obsession with music started, I would get on my skateboard and ride down to the local record store. I'd find the most tattooed guy there and have him recommend me a new album once a week. Then I'd learn it and play it on my drums. With internet and technology, there are some great platforms of discovering music, but I would HATE for kids to be deprived of the incredible experience of discovering music through their local record stores. Lets keep record stores alive and well, please."

- Josh Dun

I don't know if I'd ever have had the exposure to the roots and world music...folk, blues, classic jazz, gypsy, celtic, African, Latin, had it not been for combing the racks of the local independent record stores in the Cambridge/Boston area when I was in college and the years since. Those 'mom and pop' stores and small chains, like radio, provided the rich soil from which so much of my passion and education sprang. Having the ability to linger and talk about selections with a staff person who really knew their stuff and was able to illuminate why certain albums by a given artist were better than others or steer me to new exciting finds I never would have discovered without their help, is another reason why preserving these independent record stores is so crucial. It's the personal connection, the vastly more extensive collections, and being part of the community of like minded music fans, that makes such a difference. I loved striking up conversations or just spending hours reading notes on vinyl record covers and having the visceral experience of being surrounded by so much history and variety. Nothing like it. So much of what I love about music of all kinds and eras was hatched by just this kind of discovery and choice. The decisions about what to carry and the overall service of these stores is what has made so many of us who we are as musicians and people. Indelible, irreplaceable...and a treasure to protect.

- Bonnie Raitt

"As a band, our love of records and actual CDs has never waned. There's something spiritual about holding an album in your hands, and reading through the lyrics while you are losing yourself in the music. I will pass my collection of records down to my kids and grand kids someday so that they can experience the magic that just CAN'T be downloaded. Record Store Day is our turn to show our appreciation for the people that allow us to live our dreams through music. There is nothing more powerful than possessing a piece of art that your favorite band has worked so hard to push into the world. Lets keep these stores alive...see you on Record Store Day!"-Lzzy Hale

- Lzzy Hale

"Some of my fondest childhood memories are of going to a small record store in Florence AL called The Turning Point every friday or saturday afternoon. I would skip lunch at school and save my lunch money for the week and it would put me within a dollar or two of having enough for a record a week (1974 prices). It doubled as a head shop and the smell of incense burning always made me think (even in 5th grade or so) that it was covering up the smell of some illicit drug being burned in the back. (It probably was, actually). I was very attracted to that thought and just loved the whole experience.

After they shut that store down I began going to a smaller, but really well stocked store across the river. The manager there was named Jay and he turned me onto The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen and upteen other acts. We became life long friends, in fact he road-tripped into Athens GA this weekend to see my band play here. He runs Plan 9 in Richmond which is about as good a store as any in America and he still is turning me onto great bands. When I was 14 they built a mall on my side of the river with a Record Bar in it. They were a chain, but in those days it was a pretty cool one and when I turned 16 it became my first job. I was a terrible employee, but I'm convinced they never fired me because I spent all my paycheck on records and I knew our inventory inside out.

Actually they eventually did fire me, but by then I had grown into a pretty decent employee and the company had gone all corporate so I had to go. We have a turntable on our tourbus and we go scouring for little indie record stores in every town and I still blow my whole per-diem on records. Here I am 43 with a wife and child and I'm still misappropriating my lunch money like in 5th grade. The record labels throwing the indie stores to the wolves and casting their lot with the faceless megastores is indicative the mindset that has put them in such sorry shape of late. The indie record store was the closest link between music and the consumer and there was no replacing that interaction.

It is good tho see that some of the surviving indie stores are in some cases showing growth largely due to sales of vinyl records. It IS an interesting time to watch how all of this is going to pan out. Long Live Record Stores!"

- Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers)

“Independent record stores are much more than the name suggests. They are an international community and platform where music has an outlet and an opportunity to grow over the long term, in a way that sincerely connects with community and culture. They are also a magnificent mob of highly opinionated musical bandits which I am proud to call my pals! Bill, keep that indian ring shining for me. Matt, I'LL meet you in the morning for breakfast. John, we'll always have paris. Rhino.....straight outta Claremont!”

- Ben Harper

“Do yourself a tremendous favour and go to a record store today. The relatively mild exertion of getting off your fat, computer-shackled ass and venturing out to find the object of your desire, the thrill of moving through actual space and time, through row upon row of records, and the tactile ecstasy of fondling the quested treasure—all this will augment and enrich the mental associations the music invokes in you for the rest of your life.”

- Grinderman

"My early record shopping experiences were my musical backdrop. It's not just the ability to touch, see and smell an album and the artwork...it's the fact that you are in a Real Place with Real People...and not just any people: other music-obsessed freaks like you. I discovered so many bands by just hanging out, talking to shopkeepers, getting recommendations from some random dude who was flipping through the Nick Cave bootleg box as fervently as I was. Every time I am in a different city on tour, I make a point to hit the indie retail record stores to see what they're spinning and selling, because i just LOVE being there...my own personal and sometimes anonymous church. You can't get that feeling sitting behind your computer, ever."

- Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls)

"Independent record stores rule. They are the last refuge for those who are looking for music that's outside of the box or outside of this decade."

- Chris Faller (The Hush Sound)

"Independent record stores are like the best thing going for real music lovers. There's just no way you're gonna find those elusive grooves that fan fan salivates over at a chain store. Those important records that shape the industry and add so much dimension to it can be found at the indie spots. I remember going to a store named Leopold's in Berkeley CA when I was younger. Man, I used to live in that place. They were pretty much the only place I could find Hiphop. Back then, there wasn't much at the chain stores. You had to go forth and discover stuff, and the indie stores is where the discovery begins. People in the store are informed, they can actually HELP you find stuff that you're interested in or suggest things that you may be interested in. It's just a hip place to be, man."

- Del The Funky Homosapien

"The fact still remains that the record industry is constantly changing with new advances in multimedia and internet access for downloading music. With that being said,

it is imperative that independent retailers continue to thrive so that people can still walk into a record store and buy CDs. GO INDIE OR GO HOME!"

- Brent Smith (Shinedown)

"Indy record stores can offer knowledge, experience and a level of personal service that can be hard to find through other outlets. I can go into my Local indy store (the Louisiana Music Factory) and talk to the owners and get info on records that my favorite musicians have played on. Having this relationship has been super important to my musical development and the growing of my collection. You can't get that kind of service anywhere else."

- Stanton Moore (Galactic)

“Independent retail has always been the backbone of Porcupine Tree’s exposure in the US, and from the very beginning, the band was proactive in trying to associate with as many indie retail stores/chains as possible. We’ve always respected the aesthetics of the “pure” record store, and the importance of knowledgeable staff who can recommend great stuff to you because they truly love music and know what they’re talking about, and are not selling vacuum cleaners or washer/dryers in the next section over. Porcupine Tree would never have reached its level of retail exposure without the indie stores, we’ll always stand with them.”

- Steve Wilson (Porcupine Trees)

"None of us would be here if it weren't for independent record stores. It's the place you go to get inspired; to find something off the beaten path. They are a wonderful resource to discover new local talent or something you can't find anywhere else. You believe in the place because it's run by music lovers. You trust, take chances and discover new things. You leave with an armful of records feeling like you're part of a community that supports MUSIC. And you can't wait to get home and listen."

"There's nothing better than going into a record store and browsing the shelves. If it's an independent record store, that's all the more reason to support these folks who still make the music happen."

- The Bad Plus (jazz/prog band)

"When I was old enough to work, I got a job for a record store handing out flyers to promote the store. I used to walk around bored out of my mind until lunch time when I would read all the record sleeves. I would finish work for the day and blow all the money I made on CDs at the very same shop that just paid me! I can't seem to walk past a record store without going in. The more independent the better, I usually fall in love with the music that is blasting as I walk in and always leave with a few rare items I have been searching for. You can't beat the atmosphere of an indie record store, it's the best!"

- Michael Chislett (The Academy Is…)

"If it wasn't for independent record stores, I would be a San Fernando valley real estate agent."

- Fat Mike (NOFX)

"To me, there's absolutely no better place to discover new music than your local independent record store. There's nothing like being able to peruse the racks, touch and see the actual artwork, listen to whatever is featured at the listening station, find out about upcoming local shows, or talking to the people working there for recommendations and sharing new discoveries. Also, I've found that a good indie record store can actually help create a good local music scene!"

- Alex Brown Church (Sea Wolf)

"I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which had no shortage of amazing record stores. The hours I spent wandering about one in particular -Encore Records - was all time well spent. Speaking with clerks and customers, being introduced to music I never knew existed, and sometimes just looking at record covers - I enjoyed every aspect of the record store 'shopping' experience. There's a certain indescribable feeling that I was always left with - feeling motivated and like the world was so full of possibility. I love Newbury Comics! I remember the first time I entered the flagship store in Boston - right away I was struck by the beautiful aroma - it was the smell of music, books, and the people that love them!”

- Andrew W.K.

"Ill never forget how I got into metal, it was a small indie record store in my home town. They had all the stuff the big guys were to afraid to stock."

- Ben Orum (All Shall Perish)

“Indie record stores are the hub of a town's musical community. Aside from being wise informants on new releases and keepers of the used cd pool, they also host intimate performances from artists. Where else can young fans go to see their favorite acts live? When on tour we try to play as many indie record stores as we can. These performances are usually the ones fans remember and write us about, young and old alike.”

- Greg Bartens (Film School)

“Going to the record store as a kid was always an exciting affair. Like most kids my mother dragged me along on every shopping excursion but the one saving grace was at some point I would be able to sneak off to the record store (next to Cloth World). The excitement that I felt back then is rekindled every-time I go into a real independent record store today.”

- JJ Grey

"The Independent Record Store is the reason why i STILL do music...It seems like they're the only ones that Really care about the real music lovers...we need them...they're our balance to all of the music we are FORCED to listen to...they're the only ones that may still suggest something NEW and FRESH instead of just what's popular."

- DJ Jazzy Jeff

"A proper record shop reminds us why we got into this in the first place - a place to be reminded of old friends, still in their spots on the shelves, a source of unexpected magic and lucid memories - a place that reminds us that music is more than dumb file sharing and the management of dead data by faceless sociopathic corporations, but a storehouse of dreams, both possible and impossible."

- Max Richter

"In changing times, we should all lend our support to the independent retailers. Without independent retailers, many of the biggest names in music would still be undiscovered. They break new artists and movements. We all know the industry is changing, but we can't forget where we came from."

- Gorilla Zoe

“Independent record stores keep the plate spinning. When we’re in the States, they’re our home away from home."

- Ungdomskulen

"Whenever we tour the states, we make sure to stop by several of the numerous outstanding indie Record Stores, such as Record Archives, to get our hands on hard to find records which are nearly impossible to get over here in Europe.”

- Booka Shade

"My name is Skerik. I live in Seattle. Scoo Leary says Seattle is 'The home of Rock', because Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee are from there amongst others, Scoo is really funny too. When I need to get some rock when I'm home, I go to one of several local record stores, they are all awesome. I can walk to Easy Street records in West Seattle, and I like to visit the owner Matt at the big Queen Anne location. Matt supports local music on a daily, year round basis. The Easy Street Queen Anne location has a stage for in=store performances, it's not half ass, it's a real stage, and he even lets my little bands play there!!!

Sonic Boom is another great store, they have three locations, they also have in store performances. The mothership of all local Seattle record stores is Wall of Sound, they have the most creative music selection. Which is important in Seattle, because if you only listened to the local radio station (KEXP 90.3) from 8am to 5pm, you would think that the only music on earth was from 23 year old kids that only play guitar, bass, drums and maybe a keyboard. Wall of Sound has music from all over the world, featuring hundreds of different instruments, composers, bands, individuals, freaks, etc. Punk rock from Burma? Done.

Anti-american terrorist songs, done. Harry Partch records? Done.... I am particularly aware of indy record stores right now, because I am writing this from New Orleans, which after the storm lost a Tower Records, and a Virgin Mega Store, and some other places, so there is almost nowhere to buy music. There are some amazing vinyl places, but not the full featured CD/Vinyl selection that we have in Seattle. One store in New Orleans is the Louisiana Music Factory that specializes in regional music, it is incredible! They also have in store performances that are a blast.

Art in America isn't really driven by Reagan's trickle down theory, it doesn't respond well to 'market factors' etc, it needs individual support and money, so go buy a record at a non-corporate store today, every dollar will stay within a few miles of the store, I promise. Really, I promise!!.....WHERE we spend our money EVERYDAY, is more important than ever, please check out resources such as http://www.betterworldshopper.com/ every damn dollar makes a difference, buy some music!! And I really hope that when this time of 'digital transition' has settled down, people will be aware and appreciate SOUND QUALITY, and stop compromising sound for convenience, such as small MP3 files, to learn more about this please check this out."

- Skerik

"Record stores are the hippest libraries. In these tired ole days of homogenized entertainment, where so much of the art of our society is culminated, dumbed-down and mass produced, there is a shining jewel in the rise of the indy record stores. Going to a record shop for me is like a little treasure hunt no one can take you on but yourself. It's fun to look around and see the other shoppers too...totally entrenched in their own adventure, anticipating the reward of heart wrenching, soul filling, joy making music that might just be a bin or a flip away."

- Elizabeth Cook

"Small record stores are the back bone of the indie music industry. A place where small bands and small labels can get their music into the hands of new listeners without the corporate filtration systems of mass distributors. Without small record stores, my band and label would've never become what they are today. I can only hope that the digital age doesn't cause a mass-extinction of these excellent and resourceful businesses run by music fans, for music fans."

- Blake/nachtmystium

"Being an "independant" artist, i feel the struggle these independent record stores are going through. Its important to support you local indy record shops across the world. Its always a treat to discover new ones while on tour. While on tour and taking a second to look at the upcoming itinerary, i look forward to planning a trip to my favorite record shops while in their respective towns. Its always feels good to support independent. With all the corporate stores(Tower, Virgin, etc...) closing or merging, i can only imaging how hard it is for the ma and pa shops to still exist. Speaking of my favorite indy record shop, "Viva Amoeba"

"It's sad to see some of the developments in society, where everyday, more and more things conform toward a bland, non-diverse medium or "standard" if you will - The big, monetarily strong chainstores and companies are slowly burying the smaller, diverse (read: cool) indie ones!! No matter if it's clothes, music or otherwise - this steady decline of uniqueness, diversity and "individual expression" is truly scary!!

In all honesty, how cool is it to have to go into a 100.000 Square ft, flourescent lighted warehouse, where none of the "meek, perfect skin, fuckwhat's - type employees" know the first thing about any music outside of what's on billboard's top ten - only to find that the brand new Slayer album you so desire to own, is found on the "cd-pick-o-the-week" rack, right in between the spankingly fresh releases of Ms Aguilera and Dance Mania no.987...!?!?...Honestly...

Support your local indie and underground stores! Seriously!! For the good of all!!"

- Tomas Haake (Meshuggah)

"Independent record stores have always been the only place to find great music that is off the mainstream radar. I used to love heading down to our local spot to sift through the new imports or albums from some small label I had never heard of. In the days before the internet the only way to find out about new underground bands was either a cool neighbor an older brother or the local independent record store. Luckily I had both and it lead to a record collection I am still very proud of. I still love that feeling of walking into a great independent store and having no idea what I might find. It's like a treasure hunt. hahaha"

- Brian Fair (Shadows Fall)

"The indie record shop is the nucleus of the nerd...the internet has it's temptations but physically digging for booty? there's no substitute."

- Ursula 1000 (DJ on ESL – Thievery Corporation label)

"Before all of them were shut down by itunes and downloading, my local indy record stores were perhaps the only reason life was worth living. It’s strange to think that there was a time that an album you've never heard of could be sold to you because of cool artwork and a successful listening station session. Every Tuesday, you'd walk in, say what's up to the same 3 people who are always there working, and feast your eyes upon the 'new releases' shelf. Seldom did I walk out with any money left. And I was fine with that. Now my city doesn't have any independent record stores."

- Mac Lethal

“We are drowning in a sea of Myspace, blather, and too much information. Music is everywhere and nowhere. The independent record store is the solution, a place staffed by friendly (or not) people who are actually paid to weed through this crap and help you find the good stuff.”

- Dean Wareham (Luna)

“The indie stores were the first to initially support me and gave me my first opportunities. Similar to the indie store, I, too, am an indie artist and that in part makes us the master of our own destiny. I can create my own music without a major label telling me which beats to use, what my lyrics should be, and how I can be commercial. Instead, I choose to make my own music and hope the fans dig it as much as I do. Similarly, indie stores create their own unique atmosphere within their stores giving their customers a true sense of what the music is about instead of cookie cutter stores that all look alike, carry the same product, and have the same guy who is selling me a washing machine telling me what the hottest new record is. I, personally, have major love for all the indies. Because I am an indie artist, radio has shut me out in favor of major artists who pay to get played. The indies recognized my talent and actually promoted me as an artist and exposed new people to my music. As a result, with the indies help, you have now heard of me throughout the US. They gave my music an opportunity to be heard and now with the fans support, I have become the largest truly indie rapper.”

- Tech N9ne (hip hop artist / co-owner Strange Music)

Growing up a rock and metal fan on Long Island in the 70's and 80's was very different than it is today. There were no chain stores like Virgin and Tower and of course no internet mail order services like Amazon. The only way to pick up albums were to shop at your local "mom and pop" record stores....

In the late 70s, it was always easy to find the latest releases from my favorite bands....Led Zeppelin, The Who, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Queen, etc were all readily available at any record store. But in the early 80's, as I discovered more "underground" metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Accept, Mercyful Fate, Loudness and Raven (from reading my imported copies of Kerrang), there was no place in small town Long Beach, Long Island to find the latest records from these bands I was reading about. Then I discovered Slipped Disc Records in Valley Stream, Long Island. They not only carried the albums from these bands, but also the 12" singles with bonus tracks, the t-shirts, the imported live videos and anything else that existed! When the American thrash scene was beginning to erupt around 1983, I could always count on Slipped Disc to carry anythings I was looking for from bands like Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Flotsam & Jetsam, Death Angel and Nuclear Assault.

Taking the train there every Saturday was the highlight of my week! And on the day I received my drivers license, the very first place I drove to was Slipped Disc to pick up Metallica's Ride The Lightning album which was released that VERY day! (The imported version of course!) Now in 2008, the world is a very different place...the aforementioned chains and online stores have made it very difficult for the mom and pop stores to compete. In fact, my beloved Slipped Disc just announced it will be closing its doors for good. So let's hear it for people like Mike from Slipped Disc and all of the independant store owners that have helped shape the metal scene for the past 25 years. Without them, a lot of us may not have existed....(Or at least have been as metal as we are!)

- Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)

"The indie record shop is a global institution. It's a place that reflects history, the current state, and at times, can predict the future. Identities are formed and molded at record shops when one discovers an artist, an album, a genre, that moves them to no end. It's a venue for human contact; a social HQ for all music fans and fans of all music. Music fans, record collectors, DJs, and recording artist, now have a responsibility to keep this institution alive - more than just a mere 'shop' is at risk of extinction."

- Sam Fogarino (Interpol, Magnetic Morning)

FULL SPEECH

“There would be no Elvis. There would be no Johnny Cash. There’d be no B.B King. There’d be no Roscoe Gordon. There’d be no Carl Perkins. There would be no Jerry Lee Lewis. There would be no Roy Orbison. I can just tell you. We owe all of that to the independents and the independent people that work so hard for us to have something that could be accepted through their efforts,hard work, and desire to keep a personal feeling in every record..”

“I just really love anything that’s not faceless and where people know each other and work together to build, like, a community. People that work there know their stuff; they’re not coming in today to sell music and tomorrow to sell TVs and the next day to sell whatever. Somebody can come in and say, “I want somebody who plays piano music” or something, and somebody will actually tell them to listen to my record and they’ll play it in the store for them and they’ll talk about it. You can connect in some way with somebody who’s doing something that they love. And that it’s important to have something that is being done just out of true love for new music that is being welcomed into the world. People should go to their indie record store and find out what is happening.”

"Record stores keep the human social contact alive it brings people together. Without the independent record stores the community breaks down with everyone sitting in front of their computers"

- Ziggy Marley

“Indie record stores are essential to anyone seeking out rare inspiration. Digging albums with weird artwork, less obvious song titles, and music that might fall out of the pattern of whatever is at the top of the charts at this very second, is not an easy position to be in - without the existence of your favorite indie store.

Indies are set up and stocked by people who truly love music, they are the gatekeepers; separating the tasteful from the tasteless, and the 'excellently' tasteless from the really bad. They exist not for the sake of the scene or the trend, but owing to an appreciation for connections between artists, their inspired dysfunction, and the social messages therein. It's reflected in what's on their shelves, and you can't lose since whatever you choose will either be something you love or something that you'll grow to understand. Getting music this way is like having your very own music advisor gremlin, a radically cool devil on your shoulder guiding you to the stuff that'll blow your mind before dissolving like candy. It's a wonderful thing - and I much prefer real people helping me shape my musical taste than some socially networked computer program.”

- Luis Cabezas (guitar) Dollyrots

“The indie record stores are the backbone of the recorded music culture. It's where we go to network, browse around, and find new songs to love. The stores whose owners and staff live for music have spread the word about exciting new things faster and with more essence than either radio or the press. Any artist that doesn't support the wonderful ma and pa record stores across America is contributing to our own extinction.”

- Joan Jett

“My local independent record shop (Honest Jons) is a library, where you can go to listen to music, learn about it, exchange ideas about it and be inspired by it. I think independent record shops will outlive the music industry as we know it because long term their value to people is far greater, because even in our era of file-sharing and blogs, you cant replace the actual look on someone’s face when they are playing something they really rate and think you should listen to it too. It’s special.”

- Damon Albarn (Blur, The Gorillaz, etc.)

“If it weren't for Best Buy, I would have never discovered the New Release Aisle. And if it weren't for the New Release Aisle, I would have never discovered Panic! At the Disco. And if it weren't for Panic! At the Disco, I would have never starting wearing mascara with my top hat, which is what I was wearing when I beat my 12-year old neighbor to death with a set of cast-iron log tongs. If it weren't for my dead 12-year old neighbor, I would have never gone to prison. But if it weren't for my fireplace, I would have never discovered my cast- iron log tongs. So who truly is to blame for the death of my stupid neighbor? I blame independent record stores.”

"I enjoy how there is more variety to choose from ... It’s not just your everyday selection. Independent music recieves more of a push in places like these rather than just the mainstream."

- Onry (Grayskul)

"The one constant in this ever changing music business is the heartfelt and “ear to the ground” Indie Record Stores that avid music fans and artists alike know they can count on to keep music thriving locally. I tour all over the world, and it’s these Indie Record Stores that many times make or break a market. People will always want an “album” to hold, not just have downloaded, and Indies fill that need and then some."

- Dale Watson

"I've always loved independent music stores because the staff is usually there because of a genuine love and appreciation for music. They're more in-tune with the customers and I'm willing to pay the extra dollar or two for the service they provide. Some of my greatest music discoveries have come from picking up an album at an indy store and the cat behind the register saying "You like this man? Have you heard of so-and-so?" I prefer to shop where people understand me and the music- the music i like."

- Brother Ali

"The concept of an indie record store brings me back to the days when there were no bloggers, no myspace, no cell phones. Going to Ear X-Tacy (the main Louisville record store that thankfully still exists) and Ground Zero (a bit INDIER with much more vinyl and obscure 7 inches, etc) was a communal thing for my friends and I. It was a place to go and hang out before we could get into bars. It was a place to go and thumb through ‘zines and read reviews and interviews with musicians and artists that were underground. Ground Zero had a basement that hosted shows every now and then for local indie or arty post-rock bands.

Communication was stronger between the record buyer and the indie store owner/clerk. Many times I would just go to chat with someone about new records I should check out or shows happening around town. Sometimes just walking into the store and hearing what they were playing on the stereo would get me interested in new things.

I definitely prefer those days as opposed to the online blurb of "Those who bought THIS record also bought THAT record..." and so on. Despite the turbulent times the record industry is going through, these stores still exist and are taking the punches that everyone involved in music is taking. So cheers to them."

- Mark Palgy (VHS OR BETA)

“Independent record stores are where kids like me learned about the music that made them the musicians they are today. Independent record stores are about the love of records not the love of money!”

- G. Love

"I grew up in independent record stores. As a teenager, I would hang out in them, looking at records, learning about records. Eventually I spent my twentysomethings working behind the counters of two of the more prominent indie stores in my city. Graduated from that to co-owning one. So I'm sort of biased, I guess. If I were to make a list of the traits that make the indie store a vital part of the music industries movement, this blurb would be too long. So I will stick to two basic points: 1. breaking new bands. 2. Great place to meet awesome women.

Don't need to go any further than that. In fact, looking back, I can't really come up with anything negative to say about indie stores. Well, except that the indie store is what made me a music snob. And honestly, I'm even thankful for that.

- Sean aka Slug (Atmosphere)

"If you're looking for the last Whiskeytown record or some elusive import, you won't have to look any further than your local indie record store. Plus, in the same trip you'll probably discover about ten more albums that you love. As an artist, the indie experience is the way you envision people finding your music. As a fan, they're the only way to go."

- Bear Rinehart (Need to Breathe)

"Independent record stores are like a casino where you put down your money and you always win. How amazing to discover gems you didn't know about, to meet someone more passionate than you are, and to feel at home in a place you may never have been to before. I'm convinced they will never lose their place - Long may they rule."

- kt Tunstall

"I spent my years in high school, every chance I could, walking down the street to two local indie record stores. I’d go to the dollar bins and pull out as many records as I could afford that day. If I liked the album cover, who was playing on it, their clothes, whatever drew me in. I might like all that I picked up or only one or two or none, it didn’t matter - it was exiting to find new music for me. No mater how old the music actually was, it was brand new to me. Sometimes even listening to music that I didn’t like helped me define what I did. I couldn’t do the same if I was walking into the major chains, it wouldn’t be as fun trying to search thru the American Idol discs."

- Jason Hill (Louis XIV)

“The idea of, ‘The journey is the destination’ is put into action by browsing in an indie record store. Besides, a human being is a much better guide than a ‘More Like This’ link on the internet.”

- Patton Oswalt

"We always hunt for Indie stores while we're on the road! You can find the best in every genre and many obscure albums you never knew existed! Besides the constant smell of Nag Champa, you can't beat the hospitality nor the selection of a good ole Independant shop!"

- Ben Wells (Black Stone Cherry)

"Music is an important part of our culture and record stores play a vital part in keeping the power of music alive"

- Chuck Berry

"When I walk into my local record shop, the friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate owner always has useful suggestions. I guess he is a living, breathing MySpace site. I do click links all day. Fine. But nothing can replace a wide-eyed music obsessed human saying "you HAVE to hear this!"

"Yes, yes, I know. It's easier to download music, and probably cheaper. But what's playing on your favourite download store when you walk into it? Nothing, that's what. Who are you going to meet in there? Nobody. Where are the notice boards offering flatshares and vacant slots in bands destined for superstardom? Who's going to tell you to stop listening to that and start listening to this? Go ahead and save yourself a couple of quid. The saving will cost you a career, a set of cool friends, musical taste and, eventually, your soul. Record stores can't save your life. But they can give you a better one."

- Nick Hornby, author, High Fidelity, Slam, (among others)

“I grew up discovering music at local independent shops in my city. Being able to walk in and listen to unknown artists from across the country as well as local bands was something to look forward to when I got off school. Finding an album, taking a chance on it based on the cover and it ending up being my favorite album of the year. Where else can you find vinyl, tapes, CDs and rare albums? Independent shops will even let you go through their catalogs and special order hard to find CDs or imports that you can't find anywhere else. If we lose indie record shops we definitely lose a spirit of rock and roll.”

- Phanie D (Girl in a Coma)

“I think a turning point in record store history was getting rid of the giant extraneous plastic case that prevented theft. The ones that were like a foot longer than the cassette itself. I remember destroying a copy of “Purple Rain” while trying to remove it from the thick plastic sleeve. Going from buying music at department stores to Bull Moose changed my life. I used to go in as a kid just to look at album art of indy records I had never seen before. Much of this kind of browsing led to my discovery of bands like Dinosaur Jr. and the Pixies. I also used to ask Jason Grosso (Windham Bull Moose employee) for recommendations. Jason introduced me to the music of Tom Waits, who became one of my biggest musical influences – to the point that I tattooed a picture of him on my arm. (Tom Waits, not Jason Grosso.) Viva la Bull Moose!”

- Dave Gutter (musician, Rustic Overtones)

“Long after the music business apocalypse only two things will survive... independent record stores and bacteria. Hopefully the bacteria won’t spawn the growth of new record executives because if it were left to the artists and indie stores, everything would be ok.”

- Spencer Albee (musician, Rustic Overtones)

“Record stores are great because it’s good to physically get your hands on the music instead of downloading. It’s always better to get the artwork too.”

- Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon)

"My 1st time walking into any record store was back in the 80s @ the Uncle Jam's ran shack around the corner from my house in South Central LA (on Slauson & Western.) Sound Control Mob & other local DJs ran the store & it was like when u stepped into that store u stepped into the real world of hip hop. There were small groups of boys always hovered around the Elevator Action & Ms. Pacman arcade games, always arguing it was their turn next. Whatever was the new jam rotated on 1580 KDAY or the song everybody was bumping in their Nissan trucks - u could cop it there & they probably had it 1st.

There only competition was a cpl booths in the Slauson Swapmeet that did carry new tapes (1 had records), but those store owners only cared about making profits from the music & u could tell, even as a kid u could tell they weren't really about the culture, so u went in there to steal vinyl, whereas u went into the more indie spot to experience a hip hop moment. Whether it was a DJ mixing live, 2 MCs battling or fools pop locking & breaking, u felt a closer connection to the culture in the indie/dj ran stores.

I remember after hearing 'It's Tricky' blasting thru the instore speakers I bought Raising Hell by Run DMC when it 1st came out on tape; I listened to it so much in that 1st week that my tape unravelled & broke. I brought it back to get a newie, and they were sold out, so they gave me Fat Boys instead to tide me over until they got more in stock. I never returned it though, I just got into them too, actually started beat boxing real tuff after that. Memories man....."

- Abstract Rude

"For me and a lot of people music itself is a visual thing, and browsing in a record store can be a multi-sensual experience; not only are you half listening to what's playing over the store's speakers and half earwigging on people's conversations or trying to make out what the girl with the headphones on at the listening post is listening to, but also album and CD sleeves are catching your eye along with the posters on the walls and the books on display. In other words it's a rather more gratifying experience than sitting at home on your computer clicking on the screen. Hey, you might even strike up a conversation with the girl with the headphones on! Support your local Indie Record Store!"

- Adam Franklin (Swervedriver/Magnetic Morning)

“I feel like I spent most of my life wandering the aisles of record stores. I used to love going to Amoeba when our guitar player Immy worked there and hanging out all day talking about records. I think that's what finally got him fired; there were always people trailing around after him cluttering up the store trying to soak up the Immerwisdom. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure it was when some kid came up to the cash register with a pile of records and Immy, who was sitting on top of the counter at the time, grabbed the pile, perused it, threw most of them to the side and said something like, "Forget these, you don't need them. These two are really good, that one is great. Now go to that rack over there and grab the new Gang of Four and the Pere Ubu album. That's all you need." It probably would've been cool if the manager hadn't walked up behind him just before he did it. Oh well.

The great thing about the best record stores is that the people who work there, like Immy, love music. They love to listen to it and they love to talk about it and they love to introduce other people to it. My favorite record stores in the world reside together on either side of a tiny storefront in Blenheim Crescent, just off the Portobello Rd in London. Minus Zero and Stand Out Records face each other across a three foot aisle and Bill Allerton and Bill Forsyth stand on either side of the aisle enthusiastically competing to play some of the best music you've never heard for anyone who dares come inside. Immy and I were directed there by friends at Mod Lang records in Berkeley (another stellar shop). They're only open a few days a week and they weren't open when we got there. Still, Bill A let us in. Four hours later, we staggered out under the weight of shopping bags full of obscure records by bands we loved but mostly by ones we'd never heard of. Bill A just played us record after record after record of amazing music and we soaked it up. We came back the next day to meet Bill F and it happened all over again. We literally had to buy extra suitcases. Now we're junkies. We never go to London without leaving at least 4-5 hours free to visit Blenheim Crescent and we NEVER go to London without an extra suitcase. I heard half of my favorite bands for the first time inside that little shop.

The fact is that there will always be good music. The only question really is how are we ever going to learn about it without guys like Bill Allerton and Bill Forsyth to play it for us.”

- Adam Duritz (Counting Crows)

"You can't trust a Wal-mart to have anyone who will know what they are talking about if you are talking about music. Indies take time to think about the music they sell, and the people who frequent there stores."

- P.O.S.

The neighborhood record stores are so vital to our communities because they're always the first to introduce anyone in the surrounding area to new music, and a resource we can always depend on to have the music we want and need, unlike other major outlets who are usually only interested in what's popular, which is cool, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that, I just think it helps to have a store that you can have a relationship with to always know what you like, and may even suggest the right music for you, somewhere you can count on to have music that might've been discontinued, or just may not be in heavy demand, it just makes the whole experience more memorable for any consumer.

- Musiq Soulchild

“I have watched independent record stores evaporate all over America and Europe. That's why I go into as many as I can and buy records whenever possible. If we lose the independent record store, we lose big. Every time you buy your records at one of these places, it's a blow to the empire.”

- Henry Rollins

“I think record stores play a huge part in discovering new music. When I was growing up I would spend hours going through all the bins looking for something new that seemed interesting to me and that could relate to what I was listening to at the time. This is why I want to support National Record Store Day. ”

- Joe Principe (Rise Against)

I grew up in Yeovil in the 1970s. Yeovil did not have much going for it. Apart from Acorn Records.

Acorn records was run, as are most independent record stores, by a couple of silent & unsmiling blokes who seemed to know something about pretty much every record that had ever been released. My friends & I used to hang out there at lunchtime & after school on most days. Sometimes one of us even had enough money to buy a record. But Acorn Records was more than a place to just buy records. You would go down there to hear whatever music was playing in the shop, to argue with your friends about the relative merits of different bands, & to flick endlessly through the record racks.

Yeovil did not have much going for it. Without Acorn Records, it would have had nothing. Every town needs an independent record store.

- John Parish

when i was a young man, you could get a sody water and go in a little booth and listen to 45s. it was so hep. they were cheap and cool. it was really fun to experiment and find new sounds. i'm still doing this 38 years later. every time i do an in-store i get reminded of why record stores are so important. i almost always hear something on the house system, where i go, "what is that?" and end up buying something new. with this giant database of all recorded music, taste makers are more important than ever. a working person just doesn't have enough time in their life to sort through everything that exists. i've seen lots of changes in my life on this planet but one thing sure is the same, and that is going into a record store and flipping through the stock.

love it.

- Danny Barnes

"Where I come from there is no way to survive without the indies making sure all the best music, dvds and anything that's important to hip hop is there for us and they the 1st supporter of the local artist that go on to be the next big thing. Whatever city I'm in I always gotta find that indie so I know what's going on!"

- Hurricane Chris

The reason I am touring independent record stores from San Diego to Seattle this April is that I want to play for free, to people of all ages, at a reasonable hour, in a place we love to be. I'm touring at my own expense, because I don't want the economy to stand between my music and people that might want to hear it. Bring your X records, the kids, shop independent, and let's have a party!

- Exene Cervenka

"The independent retailers have really been an anchor for the presence of music in our communities and a huge support for our musicians.

They're irreplaceable."

- Emily King

"I buy CDs all the time. I'll go into a record store and just buy $500 worth of CDs. I will! I am singlehandedly supporting what's left of the record business.

I hate to see record stores disappear, and I'm old-school in that I think you should pay for your music. But what my kids do is download a lot of things, pay for them, and then if they love something, they'll get the CD. That may be the future.”

- Bruce Springsteen (The Boss)

"Immersing yourself in the environment of a real record store where music is celebrated and cherished adds real value to the experience of buying music. In some ways, that retail experience is as important as the music."

- John Mellencamp

"When no one else was supporting me... the mom and pops would sell my music. I been out here for 10 years and before the deal.... it was the mom and pops that was feeding my family."

- Lil Boosie

" I always show love to the local record stores because they actually listen to me... They know the songs on my cds. They look like me, straight out the hood. They know whats hot and what is on they shelf."

- Webbie

“What compels a collector in their futile search? We scour the bins of countless dusty record stores until our fingers are black as if we are going to, one day, find satisfaction in our collection. That day never comes. If anything the longer we search, the more we distance ourselves from any sort of an end. Like junkies who require a more potent dose to get high, so do record collectors and we all know you get the best shit at indie record stores. Around every turn there is a new kick, a new branch of musical lineage to explore. The independent record store isn’t just some place where geeky vinyl dudes get their rocks off. It is the focal point of your local music scene. It is the focal point of all local music scenes. It is where you find out about up-coming concerts. It is the birthplace of thousands of musical junkies. If the future of music is free of indie record stores we might as well hand over the white house keys to a bunch of pedophile Nazis and give up on culture all together.

Long live musical addiction and long live the independent record store. Ride the snake”

- George Pettit (Alexisonfire)

Record stores have always been of great importance to me. When I traveled with bands during high school, a city's worth and importance to us was often decided by its record stores. Our schedule was often based around the stores. Charleston had 52.5, Atlanta had Criminal, Columbia had Manifest. We always made sure to have extra time in those cities because those were the only places we could buy the records we were searching for. Park Ave CD's was the only thing that kept me sane during my year at school in Orlando. Even now, Manchester Orchestra would not be where we are if it were not for local Atlanta stores like Criminal Records supporting us and CIMS getting behind us. I am all for moving forward and being part of the future of music and how it is bought and listened to, but there is something very romantic and satisfying about wandering through a store and stumbling upon records or getting a tip on a new record from someone at the store. I miss that when I buy records online.

- Jeremiah Edmond, Manchester Orchestra

“Growing up in the UK I’ve loved and lost a series of great independent record stores over the last twenty years. These days I go into David’s Music in Letchworth whenever I can, and always leave with a swag bag full of vinyl and CDs. I especially love flipping through endless boxes of musty second-hand vinyl, picking out things I’d never have gone looking for. I’ve discovered loads of incredible music that way. It’s a way of shopping for records that is discouraged by the layout of huge chain record stores and totally denied by the dreaded supermarkets. So here’s to the indie stores – beacons of diversity, discovery and passion and in an ever more homogenised world. ”

- Tim Rice-Oxley (KEANE)

“In a digital world we can’t touch things. Yeah I can browse iTunes or any other online retailer on my computer in the comfort of my own home, but there’s no experience anymore! What happened to the cool days where you’d get up on a Saturday morning and be like ‘I think I’ll go buy a record/CD today’ and then you go to your local record store and spend a few hours browsing through physical product having an experience that can not compare to browsing online! Even the sound on digital is much worse; we’re killing fidelity, and making audio quality extinct. People in my age bracket don’t even care anymore and if you ask them where they get there music, not only are they not going to record stores but they’re stealing it online. If you try to defend it they just get feisty and say they deserve free music. Please support the indies and do whatever you can to spread music experience and purity! GO RECORD STORE DAY!!!” -Dan Peluso http://www.danpelusomusic.com

- Dan Peluso

“The real record store is where you step out of time and into the music, and you keep looking and listening... and then you almost pee your pants. While all this is going on I might try to ask the clerk if they have a copy of the Nerves "Hangin on the telephone" EP that might impress them. and I know they don´t have it anyways. If they did I couldn’t afford it.

And for the girls: looking for music in a real record store will amplify your beauty more than most other activities.”

- Oystein Greni (Bigbang)

“I am of the generation where one could still go into a booth at the record store to listen before deciding to buy. In this way I first became acquainted with Stravinsky's recording of The Rite of Spring - nothing like that was to be heard in provincial Seattle of the 1940s - as well as John Kirkpatrick's landmark recording of Ives' Concord Sonata. Both were overwhelming experiences for me and would form a great part of my musical universe, my compositional toolbox, and do so to this day. Had I not had a chance to hear these works for myself as a little boy, I might well have learned them ten years later, and they would have still had a terrific effect on me, but not as defining to my compositional life as they had when I was small.

I also still think with fondness of places like The Record Hunter and Discophile in New York, where one could have an intelligent discourse with the store owners and clerks, say, about which opera recording to buy; this kind of store (with rare exceptions here or there; I know of one left like that on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston) is only a memory in the US. Without a human contact in a store, the educational aspect of buying recordings is gone. Marketing becomes the only way to explore the choices, and this is one more case of market-force thinking actually taking away one's freedom to choose.

For me the ideal store would revive the listening booths. But short of that, a store should have people in it who know and care about what they're selling. You can't find that contact in purely electronic media. I know that downloading and streaming are the musical dissemination modes of the future, but maybe if young people would be made aware of what is lost by just hooking up with music on the iPod... It could revolutionize musical taste.

We need to revitalize the recording store! Bring back knowledgeable salespeople! Bring back the booth!”

For more information about the music and life of William Bolcom, please check out the following resources: wbolcom@umich.edu www.williambolcom.com www.bolcomandmorris.com

- William Bolcom (Grammy ward winning composer)

“Independent record stores have been a major part of my life as a musician as well as a fan of music. Raspberries in Erie, PA was my first visit. It was a wonderland of my potential future.

Stores from Birmingham to San Francisco have been turning people into life long fans of my music, Train's and countless other bands and artists for as long as I can remember . I miss being able to see a great Independent music store as often as I used to. With that said though, they are still as strong a contributor to the music business as ever. They're where I got my start. Thank you all!”

- Pat Monahan (Train)

"When I was growing up in my little town of Malvern, Arkansas, we had a shop called Paula's Record Shop, run by this lady Paula, and we would come in and stay all day thumbing through the 45's and the albums, and just look at everything. We couldn't afford to buy anything so we would just hang there all day - it was really like Oz to us. I got my entire musical education from that record store and the radio. We would hear the songs and the bands on the radio and we'd go straight to Paula's and stare at the covers and read the album notes.

It was the only record store in town. There weren't any big conglomerates or any other record outlets. It was just this little shop - it seemed at that time so huge to me, but I know now it was just this little bitty building. My friends and I couldn't believe it when we went in there. It was like magic to us. When I'm out on tour or on location, I'll find whatever independent record store is around and that's where I'll go.

There are still some cities that have record stores that give me that same feeling when I used to walk into Paula's. In Austin, I go to Waterloo, in Minneapolis I go to the Electric Fetus. I usually have to get an extra suitcase to bring home with me on the plane to carry everything I bought at those shops!

Independent record stores are really the only places left with the actual spirit of music as I knew it growing up, and hopefully those will be around for 50 years from now because that's where it feels magical - you don't feel like you're buying a tire iron, tube of shampoo, a 12 pack, a bag of Cheetos and a record."

- Billy Bob Thornton (Boxmasters)

"I've always enjoyed the record shops...they gave me a reason to leave my house."

- Pete Yorn

Independent record stores are aural cathedrals, havens for those who find music as much a spiritual endeavor as passing entertainment. Indie employees will go out of their way to help you find a rare or back-catalogued recording, commiserating over neglected artists & all-but-forgotten masterpieces. They offer discounts & suggest records they enjoy with genuine interest & enthusiasm. Indies embody mom&pop, individualist expression - they're in it for love, not to turn a huge profit or to bend popular taste to a uniform will. viva la indie!

- Nellie McKay

A long time ago, people that made music meant it, people that bought it cared and celebrated the listening to it as an activity unto itself. They read the liner notes like a sacred text and conversed for hours on the intricacies of a band, a sound, a producer, a label, the artwork, a movement. Oh yes, in a store, face to face. Uphold that tradition. Honor our stores that still exist that cater to people making music that still care, and fans that do too.

- BT

“Indie retail allows a band to build a career on top of firm foundation; without it, you are building on unstable ground that can be swept away. These stores and music outlets are passionate and proven effective. Without [those stores] our band would be nowhere. They take chances, support bands no one knows, and most importantly--they care and love the product they share. We are incredibly grateful and have to continue to support them in every way we can.”

- Andy Hull (Manchester Orchestra)

“Independent record stores are a vital source of the ever-changing cool. They respond to the street faster than the chains can. They help us telegraph to each other what's "now" and what's not, what we should be telling our friends and neighbors about, and what's about to take off, or, no longer hot. Musical trends are confirmed at the local independent record store, by you and me. Hanging out, listening to something you've never heard before, being enlightened by the staff, getting into something new, finding that old recording you've been searching for, having your local band's newest offering stocked right next to major label stuff, it all happens at the local indie shop. Why would we want to do away with all that?”

- Joe Satriani

"When you walk into a record store its an escape for some of us. It seems like whatever situation you're going thru in your life there is a song or artist that can describe it perfectly, whether its a happy feeling, or something bad, there's an artist and song that can describe it perfectly. If I'm struggling with something in my life, then the right song will help me thru it. The record store is like a giant medicine cabinet. Its an environment of people of all walks of life that are professionals in what they do. The opinion of those people working at record stores are so important to me as a customer. They'll tell me what's good and let me know the truth on what's only hype. They'll tell me "when you buy this listen to track #6" and might even say, "there's only 2 really good songs on there, the rest is just B.S." They know the history about the artists and music. When I buy music I want quality music. At the record store they can let me know what's good, not just what the top seller is."

- Paul Wall

"One of our very favorite shows of 2008 was our Slowtrain instore. We drove straight from San Francisco, pulled up to the back of the store, dragged our entire setup inside and played our new album, Rook, start-to-finish - and they let us get away with it."

- Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater)

“In high school there was this shop that my friends worked at, and bought from that made me feel not so lame. In college there was a shop that took my first EP on consignment. When I did my first LP there were 7 shops in Chicago that took my CD, straight from my hand, and weeks later gave me lunch money. Digital is convenient. Shops have character, and have always supported the independent (and the major) artist. They support the artist. Selling records is an art, too. I look forward to making art with you for many years to come, Mom & Pop.”

- Psalm One

“I have 7 reasons for loving Montana and Cactus Records is #4.”

- Jason Lytle

“A world without record stores is inconceivable to me; and yet each month now I hear of another great store being forced to close. My own favourite is Concerto in Amsterdam. A visit to this store is almost religious for me. I take a deep breath before I enter, go all quiet, and the journey begins in the search for something new. It is a tactile, physical journey, involving artwork, photographs, liner notes. it is not a solitary journey. It involves questions and answers to people who share my love of music. People who know so much more than I do, who guide me to the places i need to be, to hear what i am hoping to hear. When eventually I leave the store, I am enriched, having invested time, energy, and usually around 200 euros in this journey. the music I have purchased will infor my music life for months and years ahead. My life long love affair with music and songs is all about people. it is not a lonely pursuit, but a shared one. I have no problem with progress, as long as progress is actually what is happening. The impending death of record stores represents an enormous tragedy for society. The downloading of cds for free, for an independent singer like me, is robbing the food from my mouth. RECORDSTOREDAY is a fantastic idea, and I wholeheartedly endorse it. Best wishes, Luka Bloom”

- Luka Bloom

“I go to my local independent record store for the news.”One of my most favorite things to do in Toronto is to go into one of a handful of my favorite indie record stores and see what's new. In a lot of ways, I go to them for the news about what's happening in town and what new records are perking people's ears. It adds strength to the sense of a musical community in my city. Also, my audio format of choice is vinyl, so it’s especially nice to go in and see what I can find on LP. I enjoy the experience of visiting a store and potentially being tipped off to a new band, or a rediscovered one, that I may not have heard before.

- Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers (facebook)

"Record stores soothe the audio fix. I've dropped thousands of dollars over the years at Fingerprints in Long Beach. They are a great supporter of independent and local music. Without the indie store we'd be relegated to Target & Best Buy. Buy music kids! Keep the eclectic sounds alive."

- Brett Bixby (keyboard player with AM) (amsounds.com)

"The record store is my adult candy store. So many options, plus flipping through vinyl is so much fun. Packaging of an album is a creative art form. You can't get this experience on iTunes. I'm an avid supporter of retail in California (Amoeba, Origami, Aquarius) ...these record stores have what I'm looking for. Rare imports that are not available on iTunes anyway. When I'm on the road I do my best to pop into local record stores and I can't tell you how much groovy music I've been turned on to from those great indie stores that really know their selection...and their music."

- AM (amsounds.com)

"That little bit of chaos concealed amongst the sterile corridors of the modern city. If it wasn't for Liverpool's independent record shops, Ladytron probably wouldn't have ever come into existence."

- Reuben Wu of Ladytron (facebook)

To me indie record stores are a place to make new discoveries or to find music that you knew about but thought was lost. Most of these stores know their best customers by name and will happily make a recommendation of what's new, cool and amazing. These are the places where surprising new bands are featured alongside the all time greats. Record stores are also great places to hang out and gossip about whatever's going on, musically or otherwise. They are the safe haven for the music nerd who can't get enough inside information about the bands and artists he loves. My own personal favorites are La la Land in The Hague and Sally's in Westport, CT. I'm still mourning the loss of Secret Sounds in Fairfield, CT. but at least I've got the t-shirt.

- Chris Frantz (Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club)

“It's the local record stores that shaped my love for a lot of different music. It introduced me to some of the best music, which at times had fallen under the radar or not yet achieved the success it should have. So I thank especially Membrane in Germany as well as Downtown Records here in New York for suggesting and selling some of the best music around, from Imports to Underground Labels to Mainstream Music. What would the music world be without the local record stores!”

- Kordelia

"Independent record stores are the beating heart of America and the reason why we love it so much."

- Laurent "Branco" Brancowitz

“They were a library and a breeding ground for me when I was growing up - that's where I got all my influences and how I learned to play. I was reminded of that yesterday at Criminal Records when I stopped in to do a signing there.”

- Booker T

"Indie record stores are as important to a touring musician as an incredible thrift store. I can't overstate how good it feels to place an original pressing of 'veedon fleece' in your most underused of shirts and pack it into your suitcase, anxiously awaiting the day you get home so that you can play it as though it was your reward or trophy from the long journey you had just finished embarking on."

- Nate Ruess (fun)

I used to work at an indie record shop so I'll always have a soft spot for the places where I still go to find the most vital music, whether new or still hidden.

- Billy Corgan

“1st off, I dig the stores who still keep the word record in their names, especially seeing as how the vinyl record has waned in its popularity of being the current buying public's choice music medium. For me, my family's record collection was my gateway drug to the record store. Also my older sister's rap tape collection that made me want to own my own music - she was stingy with loaning me tapes! The local record stores became like my gateways for expanding my knowledge of hip hop culture in various neighborhoods and cities worldwide. I know we got the internet today, but honestly, it sucks even trying to buy music online sometimes i think i'm getting the right version of some song or lp, then i buy it and it was the wrong version - i end up buying it like 3 times on 3 diff projects...no joke try to buy Mind Playing Tricks on Me on itunes and see if u get all 4 verses before you buy like at least 2 mixtape versions missing Bushwick's last verse...man - screw that! I'd rather just go to the store and ask a cat or even listen to it there at the store. Also, there's the looking at the art and touching the product - let's not get so disconnected with the physical product that we become virtual fans - naw man! Besides, DJs who actually spin at clubs and on the radio always seem to be able to get a job at a record store, so those types are on deck to influence the ears of impressionable youth as I was. For many musicians/artists who were and still remain fans 1st before becoming colleagues, the record store is where you peep your peers & favorite artists, but also the brand new artists coming out and get influenced to get your new shit in there right beside one day. I hope there are record stores that continue to stay open no matter what and those fans and artists like me who wanna keep supporting em!”

- Abstract Rude

“It is important to support independently owned businesses, especially in a climate of corporate imperialism. We don't want our record stores going the way of the independent pharmacy (which unfortunately is pretty much the way of the dinosaur).”

- Micheal Larsen (Eyedea, of Eyedea & Abilities)

“The record store is where me and my friends cut our teeth growing up. I love getting lost trying to master every section, walking with a stack of possible purchases and weighing all my choices at the end of it. Nothing will ever replace that for me.“

- P.O.S

Records used to mean vinyl, then cassettes, then cd's, and now downloads. Like currency, they got smaller and are now almost invisible. The record stores were a great network where music fans could listen to what was out there without necessarily having to buy it. But if they did, they came away with a black disc* embedded with grooves, mostly enshrined in a cardboard sleeve that contained vital additions to the music inside. These sacred objects (and their slightly less sacred descendants, the tape and the compact disc) were the closest you could get to the act itself: like portable shrines with holy relics.

Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck and Bill Rieflin, who comprise the Venus 3, my American band, all heard my songs for the first time in the record stores where they worked. It's probable they also first heard each other's music like that, too. I have fond memories of hanging out in US record shops, particularly the Used Record Shoppe in the Sunset district of San Francisco. Shops like Let It Be in Minneapolis, Bill's in Dallas, Tower on 4th & Broadway, Easy Street in Seattle, Criminal in Atlanta, Amoeba in LA and many others gave us a platform to perform live on tour and unfailingly stocked our records (Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians, my solo work, The Soft Boys and now me & the Venus 3) where the larger chains found us unprofitable. Independent record stores gave my career a solid base > from which to withstand the air currents of hipdom - people who got into your stuff that way really got into it.

Now technology and economics are leading away > from physical product, and from the sale of records in record stores. Hopefully some will survive as boutique oases where music lovers can browse and meet not just the music but each other. You can't get everything through the post...

Best wishes, Robyn Hitchcock

* unless it was pink or green or red or purple or a photograph

- Robyn's thoughts on records for The Record Store Day, 2009

One of my most vivid record store memories was being in Belmont Records in Springfield, Massachusetts when the first shipment of Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" arrived. I helped the manager, John Dougan, unpack the boxes. We pulled out the first two copies, looked at the great cover shot, then flipped it over to the list of songs on the back, imagining their greatness solely by their titles: "Badlands", "Candy's Room", "Racing In The Streets", "Prove It All Night", "Promised Land"... How could they not be great songs with titles like these?! We put the album on the store's turntable, blasted it, and we were right - it was incredible. I must confess that I use iTunes and buy CD's online when I'm not near a record store, but I'll never have a moment like that sitting at my computer.

I can't imagine what my life would have been without all the hours and money I "wasted" in record stores. (My father's word, not mine.)

- Mike Scully (The Simpsons, writer)

I don't know what I would do without indie record stores. Having grown up in a town without them, I can tell you that it's no fun to shop for indie records at chain box stores. Independent record stores like Sonic Boom in Seattle, Rockin Rudys in Missoula and 2nd Avenue in Portland were holy golden shrines to me growing up. Actually, they still are.

- Colin Meloy (The Decemberist)

As anybody who knows me can attest, I love record stores. I can spend hours browsing the racks, where one album will remind me of something else I want to look for, and so on and so on. I have fond memories as a teen of trips to Omaha and making my folks take me to the late, lamented Peaches record store there, and saving up my spare change to buy that new Talking Heads album, or the latest release by The Cars. I especially enjoyed hearing something new in the store while shopping, asking the guy behind the counter who it was, and going home with a new discovery, and a whole list of future purchases. Long live the record store!

- Mark Reznicek (Toadies Drummer)

“I love the smell of them. I love that people actually care for and know about the music they are selling.”

- Neko Case

"As a teenager I found my parents proverbial record stash and it was all over from there. Sure there were cd's and tapes, but records, man to this day you can't beat the way a record sounds smells and feels. So anyway there was this place in Pasadena where I grew up called Moby Disc. As a kid passing by in the car you'd see all the freaks coming in and out of it- mohawks and piercings, tattoos and shredded clothes-and I was scared of it for sure. I thought to inside its doors and images of eternal damnation would flash through my head all the while Nancy Reagan repeating, "just say no." Oh Nancy, I'm so sorry. I became a regular. Inside there were no devils, or a crack den, just thousands of used records priced perfect for the teenage budget. I collected all the Beatles records I could find. I developed and nurtured a serious Bee Gees disco-era infatuation. I remember both worlds coming together as I blew the dust off the "Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" movie soundtrack, featuring none other than the Bee Gees themselves, and disco renditions of Beatles faves.

The record store served more than one purpose, it was a hang out, an identity building workshop, a community center and a pawn shop where a couple old cd's could buy a broke little punk some smokes. As the saying goes, they just don't make 'em like they used to."

- Josh Clark (Tea Leaf Green)

“I got my start by going around to record stores like Moby Disc and Middle Earth and giving them The Bad Religion 7” to sell on consignment. I’d go back every couple of weeks to see if they needed any more and while I was at it I’d always check out the zines, flyers and new punk releases. These places were more than stores, they were gathering places and hubs of information. They were the heart of the LA Hardcore scene and it would never have existed without them.”

- Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion)

"Independent record stores play a vital role in selling music from the fringe as well as the mainstream. We're delighted to be releasing a one-off vinyl single only available in independent shops as part of Record Store Day." --Neil Tennant, Pet Shop Boys (EDITORS NOTE: The Pet Shop Boys single being released for Record Store Day 2010 is available in the UK)

- Neil Tennant

"The 'cool' record store. It is where you can talk to people who are like you. They look like you, think like you and, most tellingly like the same music as you - the only comparable experience these days would probably be an art museum - an actual place where you can stand and simply be surrounded by your heroes."

- Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips)

“God only knows what I would be doing now had it not been for the records that l have discovered and loved as a result of buying records and being turned on to new music from independent record stores. If we lose the independents then we lose a total culture of people who are aware that all the interesting bands and music start at this place and are fed by music lovers directly on a personal level rather than a sea of corporate mediocrity.”

- Mark Gardener (Ride)

"You can't roll a joint on an iPod - buy vinyl!"

- Shelby Lynne

" I'd like to thank all the indie stores from Florida to California and all points in between for being so welcoming in 2007. I played Park Ave CDs, Waterloo, Shake It, Horizon, Amoeba (LA & SF), Criminal Records, Shangri-La, Grimey's, Vintage Vinyl, Ear X Tacy, Twist & Shout,Record Exchange, and a few more I can't recall. Thanks for your help with my Grammy-nominated Charlie Louvin album and Live At Shake It Records CD. Look for my new CD in late 2008. "

- Charlie Louvin

"The record store is an institution that not only holds music from around the world but maintains a community's local flavor. It's here that one can open a chest of gold worthy of shaping a unique personality, taste, and outlook on the world. iTunes and the internet, though offering a vast network, will always lack the soul that rock 'n roll stands for. Just as religions have temples where people go to find God, listeners have record stores where they go to find themselves."

- Sam Kearney (Alberta Cross)

"If it weren't for Criminal Records, Wax-n-facts and other indie record stores I could have only sold my CD's at my shows and by mail order as an independent artist. The greatest stores that have character and include a much wider range of music of music are all independent, mom and pop stores."

- Shawn Mullins

“It’s dreamlike... I’m walking around in a cool blue but sort of crowded place with great music playing and people really listening...now and then talking about music. Incredible; there is new vinyl, old vinyl, more CD titles than seem possible, old posters, new posters, turntables, sharp gear and graphics, news about every show around, amazing music I haven’t heard before, and the great vibe of a place so familiar that it feels ...like home? ...Of course. It is home. It’s a record store."

- JD Souther

"Indie record stores were what we had to start with, and they're all we've got left."

- James McMurtry

The independent record store is a reflection of people's deep love and commitment to music. These are places where all can gather and share our diverse interest in a common theme, music. The owners of such take pride in their ability to lead us, while fighting hard to survive.

h2>Dan Layus (Augustana)

i love the entire experience of a true record store, whether you're in omaha, nebraska, or in chapel hill, north carolina or san diego, california...the minute you step into the store you're taken to a timeless place, the boundaries and possibilities honestly feel endless when you're walking around the store, smelling the old vinyl records, and seeing a cracked old copy of nirvana's "in-utero" cd in the used section (probably the copy my mom took back to the store when i brought it home and she saw the song title "rape me" on the back...oh man that made me so angry, only made me want to like it more!) anyways, all the senses are involved at a good record store, you just automatically feel cooler there, i think for a lot of kids and even adults its a kind of treehouse club or some sort of refuge from the dullness of the real world, and the feeling of grappling with the stupid hard to open packaging of a cd is so enthralling...you can't get into your car fast enough to pop it into your cd player and hear the first note! it could be your favorite record and you dont even know it yet! and with vinyl, the IDEA of getting home and putting on the record is beyond exciting...basically, yes i love going to a good record store haha..one of my favorite spots is LOU'S records in leucadia, california (san diego), my hometown record store, it's got everything you'd want or need and i love it.

- Metric

"In the beginning was the record store, more like a modern-day temple with its attendant priesthood and initiates, a holy repository of the culture's most sacred beats and rhymes. By comparison, the internet is a clean room in a hospital -- it lacks the funk and feeling of a place with floors and ceilings and racks full of soul-stirring goodness. May they persist till someone turns the lights out on this small planet! Here's to the true believers -- keep the faith, brothers and sisters!"

- David and Don Was (Not Was)

"I grew up in indie record stores. Bill's Records and Tapes ("And Tapes"?!?) was THE destination for my friends when all we could do was ride our bikes to avoid our parents and homework, etc...

I discovered my calling, my passion (though I dare say it wasn't the passion Bill wanted me to discover - if you know Bill, you know what I'm talking about, but I digress), in indie record stores. There was a little chain called Peaches that featured handprints in stone blocks of all my favorite rockers. I discovered that my 12 year old hands were the exact same size as Joan Jett's when she was in the Runaways. Something magical happens in these stores. Like if you stand there long enough, you realize that the fourth wall doesn't exist, that you can be on the stage or in the studio just like your heroes. Thank god for the indies."

- Rhett Miller (Old 97's)

The artist and the independent music store share in a symbiotic relationship based on a mutual appreciation and passion for new music that ultimately benefits us all, whether we realize it now or not. "What goes around comes around" may seem like a cliche, but imagine a world in which all that was going around was the same tired corporate sludge that saturates commercial radio, with NO way for other ideas to be heard. Without the mom and pops pushing those little records full of big ideas, where would we be?

"Indie" has become a real buzzword lately that now signifies a certain "style," and debatably, "sound;" however, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that at the core, the word "independent" means that you've chosen to strike out on your own, and in this case, to make a living doing what you love. How can you not be behind that? These people, artists AND store owners alike are part of a community (local and global) that DESERVE your support - these are people that are making it happen! So check in with what's going on down at your local store - slip on your sneakers, grab a cup of coffee, and go get your fingers dirty browsing the stacks, because there's no replacing the experience of community and the enjoyment of good tunes. RIP Sea Level Records!

- Ryan Wilson - DIVISION DAY

"I still find it most rewarding to go to my local record shop where I can talk to people who know all about the music they're representing, and where I can get answers to my questions without spending 45 minutes trying to find a link to customer service which would send me an auto-reply in three days.

Support your local record shop to keep musical environment vivid!"

- Mikko Siren (APOCALYPTICA)

I still believe in the religious experience of going into a record store, getting what you need, or finding something new and having that moment of excitement when you get back to the car and the frustration of ripping off that sticky thing. I've found a lot of my favorite artists and bands through the recommendations of whoever is working at the store. I remember specifically the day Fiona Apple's "Tidal" came out, it was a Tuesday, I was in 6th grade and I bought this record having never heard of the girl, and I was totally (and still am) slayed by it.

- Jessie Baylin

"The physical act of picking up a recording (CD, vinyl, cassette), checking it out, finding something unavailable, etc.; is an experience you will NEVER get online. And now it's becoming common knowledge that CDs have more digital information than most files, so they sound better. A great or even good record store is like no other."

- John Doe

"The record store. Where true fandom begins. It's the soul of discovery, and the place where you can always return for that mighty buzz. The posters. The imports. The magazines. The discerning clerks, paid in vinyl, professors of the groove. Long live that first step inside, when the music envelopes you and you can't help it. You walk up to the counter and ask the question that begins the journey -- "what is that you're playing?" Long live the record store, and the guys and girls who turn the key, and unlock those dreams, every day."

- Cameron Crowe (one time Associate Editor of Rolling Stone, Screenwriter for films like “Fast Times At Ridgemont High,” and Director of films such as “Say Anything…,” “Jerry McGuire,” “Almost Famous,” “Vanilla Sky” and “Elizabeth Town.”)

"I love indie record stores! My first job was working at a record store. While touring, I still always hit my favorite record stores. What is not to love about record stores? To be surrounded by millions of records, some that you know and love and others that are hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Record stores are also a great social outing. You can meet and talk to other people that share your love for the art of music. The excitement of strolling the aisles of a cool record store will always excite me. It's best to do it without knowing what you are looking for. I can spend hours in my favorite record store. Record stores are my candy shops!!!!"

“It’s important to keep indie record stores alive because their unique environments introduce music lovers to things in a very personal way.”

- Norah Jones

"The best feeling on earth is to be surprised by something you never expected to find in a book store. The second best feeling on earth is to be surprised by something you never expected to find in a record store. If it something used, or rare or out-of-print all the better. And, honestly, what are the chances of something like that happening in a chain store. I can spend three hours going through the stacks at a place like Sound Garden. It is never time wasted."

- David Simon (Creator and Director for the HBO award winning series “The Wire”)

"it is hard to underestimate the role of independent retail in the music industry. as the world continues to try and cram every purchase they make onto their computer, turning music into binary digits and artwork into pixelated packshots, we can only sit and wait for them to wake up from their dream and realize that ultimately human interaction in shops, with informed good people, handling cherishable artefacts is good for the soul. in the meantime we need to support the people who keep this world alive for the moment we all realize we need it again."

- Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl)

"if it wasn't for the record store, musicians like myself would not have had access to music of previous artists and styles through the used LP or used CD. i would rather peruse the bins looking for the odd Artie Shaw or Keely Smith recording and letting the clerk let me give it a listen, than listen to something on a tiny laptop speaker before i download it to a disk drive. being in Phoenix, you must go to Stinkweeds record store and live in the physical world of music."

- Jon Rauhouse

I fed my vinyl habit in college and law school during the late '60s/early '70s by working in indie record stores in Ithaca, New York (The Record Runner) and Boston Mass. (Minuteman Records, New England Music City and Cheap Thrills). Love of music, not money drove those businesses as it drove my desire to work there. It's where fans came to share stories, argue about what was great (and what sucked), discover new music, flip through the records and feel connected to a vibrant, world-wide music scene. Some memories: when the owner of The Record Runner found out that The Beatles' "White Album" had been released in the UK well in advance of the American version, he ordered a few hundred copies and when they arrived at Customs he dispatched me to New York City in his two-seater Volvo P-1800. I drove there and back to Ithaca the same day to find kids lined up around the block in the freezing cold late afternoon waiting for me and "The Beatles." Of course I still have that record and despite hundreds of plays it still sounds better than any CD edition. I remember when an import record arrived at Minuteman in Cambridge on the Philips label featuring an odd looking bloke with different sized pupils. "Ground control to Major Tom!" It's going to take a record store resurgence (underway!) to capture the imagination of the next generation and save music from the clutches of mass mediocrity. I could blather on, but I'd rather spin the new Cat Power double LP.

- Michael Fremer (www.musicangle.com)

"The in store performance we did in montreal was off the top of our heads which made it a lot of fun. I hope we get to play another one next record store day. Record stores are one of my favourite places in life. I hope they live forever with Santa, Peter Pan and me."

- luke lalonde (born ruffians)

"as a little five points alumni of 11 years, back in the 1900's, I used to live behind criminal records on a street called colquitt in an apartment with a rotating cast of roommate's girlfriends. I would be on the road about 300 days out of the year, and home on most mondays and tuesdays. Those were my days to go get cultured on new and exciting music, and buy my dimebag habit of U.K. Magazines. The thing is, I would have never gotten this kind of education or variety of pop culture fun from a supermarket that sells Shakira records.

Don't get me wrong. My day job pays me well for making records for those kinds of folks, but I don't wanna listen to it. I mean, would you wanna eat donuts for dinner, if you made them all day in a factory? Nope. Same with music. thanks Eric...."

- Butch Walker

“The local record store is a cultural event. Every purchase you make , every day, every year, it is a rich cultural history in the making. Go down to your favorite shop and grab some coffee, a nice pastry and then head in to the record store for the ultimate recorded experience. Maybe see some friends. Next thing you know you just had a nice afternoon.

Go to one of those big box stores and get the full assault.

Bright sterile fluorescent lights and all that fake, old timey crap on the walls that drives home the point that this is an approximation of an experience. You are one of a million cattle herded in and out of those crapholes. This history can easily be rewritten. And you sure as hell won't talk to anyone there, cause everyone else is just as annoyed, alienated and lost as you are. And, as you get trapped in that endless parking lot it really seals the deal. I have precious memories of my favorite shops and so do many of my best friends. That's shared history man. And buying my first Velvet Underground record or Love's "Forever Changes" , or seeing my first "punk show" flyer, takes that whole experience deep into you. That lasts forever. That's powerful stuff.”

- Brett Netson (Built To Spill)

"An Independent Record Store means "Passion" to us. The passionate individual owner's heart and love of music provides customers with an outlet for the emotion, love, and desire of music. The Indie Record Store is the heartbeat of the music business."

- Sarah Dash (Labelle)

When I was a kid, I spent the better part of my time in indie record stores, sifting through bins of CDs for new import EPs from my favorite Brit bands, befriending employees with loads of opinions to share, and discovering what I loved about music which had nothing to do with what was being sold to me on the radio. The handwritten "Staff Picks" were eternally cool, even if I sometimes hated the records. Now, my favorite "Mom and Pop" shops have started closing around me, I have to go into these superstores where they don't know what EPs are, they can tell you where a CD is but nothing about it, and the only discs they have in stock are what's on the radio. I feel so lucky to have grown up in indie stores where there was as much humanity in the selling of music as in the making of it.

- Cary Brothers

“I love indie record stores, man. I love anything that’s about independence and preserving the brand of good music.”

- Raheem DeVaughn

“Record stores have a magic about them that’s totally unique. They are a place where you can come across music and culture that you’re not open to in any other way, often by accident. I love that hands-on experience of browsing and buying music, and so I wish the Record Store Day every success “

- James Morrison

“Record Store Day should be our new national holiday. Independent record stores, where you can absorb yourself in hearing music which many chain stores don't carry, are an oasis for all who spend time in them. They always have people working behind the counter who are true fans of the many varieties of music which you can find that are available on CD recordings today, and these enthusiastic and committed salespeople are often musicians themselves. And if they are not, like all musicians, they are lifelong fans of all kinds of music. That's why I always enjoy going to little stores all over the country in my continual travels on the road.

Since I am now seventy-seven, I am a little older than the average teen age customer, but it is amazing how much exciting new music is now available in these independent stores. It is great to see people of all ages drawn together by music, checking out not only the recorded treasures of the past, but the work of young independent artists who have something to say. In an era where there is an unprecedented amount of new music available, the independent stores are vital in making a connection between the artist and the listener.

In the areas of music to which I have devoted my life; symphonic, opera, jazz and what is now called World Music, are genres which are not considered commercial. All these life-giving forms of musical expression now have a larger audience than anyone could imagine, and the independent stores are where you can go to obtain recordings that chain stores aren't allowed to carry. The small stores can sell whatever they want, and usually, the owners or buyers for the store actually listen to the music that they stock and sell in their stores.

These independent entrepreneurs still feel that music is a holy and healing art that transcends market researchers with tin ears who feel that teenagers are the only customers worth exploiting, and that by definition neither these kids nor the music they are supposed to want to buy that week are both worthless. As a result an enormous amount of enjoyable music never gets made available in the chain stores, whose choices of what is worth listening to are made by non-listeners, who never had the good fortune to have sung, danced or hung out with positive open minded people who feel music, as Shakespeare said, is the food of love.

All across the country, Independent stores are all different. Each store, like each community, has its own special atmosphere, and its own special delights. And in addition to everything else, these stores are fun to go to. You always meet interesting and enthusiastic people, and learn something new about the treasures of the past and the work of many of our unsung sleeping giants of today.

Let's all celebrate Record Store Day. This can be the first step towards celebrating Record Store Year! Small is beautiful. Let's all try to support independent stores, the communities that they nourish by their presence, and the wealth of music that they make available to all of us.”

David Amram Bio

David Amram has composed more than 100 orchestral and chamber music works, written many scores for Broadway theater and film, including the classic scores for the films "Splendor in The Grass" and "The Manchurian Candidate;" two operas, including the ground-breaking Holocaust opera "The Final Ingredient;" and the score for the landmark 1959 documentary "Pull My Daisy," narrated by novelist Jack Kerouac. He is also the author of three books, "Vibrations," an autobiography, "Offbeat: Collaborating With Kerouac," a memoir, and "Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat" published this Fall by Paradigm Publishers.

A pioneer player of jazz French horn, he is also a virtuoso on piano, numerous flutes and whistles, percussion, and dozens of folkloric instruments from 25 countries, as well as an inventive, funny improvisational lyricist. He has collaborated with Leonard Bernstein, who chose him as The New York Philharmonic's first composer-in-residence in 1966, Langston Hughes, Dizzy Gillespie, Dustin Hoffman, Willie Nelson, Thelonious Monk, Odetta, Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, E. G. Marshall, and Tito Puente. Amram's most recent work "Giants of the Night" is a flute concerto dedicated to the memory Charlie Parker, Jack Kerouac and Dizzy Gillespie, three American artists Amram knew and worked with. It was commissioned and premiered by Sir James Galway.

Today, as he has for over fifty years, Amram continues to compose music while traveling the world as a conductor, soloist, bandleader, visiting scholar, and narrator in five languages. He is also currently working with author Frank McCourt on a new setting of the Mass, "Missa Manhattan," as well as a new orchestral work commissioned by the Guthrie Foundation, "Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie." premiered Sept. 29 2007 in San Jose California by the Symphony Silicone Valley, who have also comissioned him to compose a new piano concerto.

Amram's webpage: www.davidamram.com

- David Amram (Composer)

“One of the most amazing places in the world is a record store called either Liberty Street Recordings or Encore Records. It's located in the great town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Many of my friends worked there and I spent a lot of time there during high school. One time I went in, and this woman who I think owned the place was listening to Black Sabbath's, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" very loudly. She was probably the same age as my Mom and looked like a librarian, and after the album side finished she said, "God, I just love what that man's voice does to me."

- Andrew WK

"I am spoiled to live near one of the best indie stores in the nation. Park Ave Cds in Florida. Until we started touring I thought it was the only one like it, then we went to Austin and visited Waterloo and then discovered the whole list of great stores under the Coalition. These people know good music. We are so blessed to have them on our team, they just recently picked up our debut and decided to help us out with distribution through CIMS. What would we do without these stores? I cant imagine, lets not imagine. Lets not take these people for granted! Happy Record Store Day!"

- Dylan York (Band Marino)

“Independent record stores are where I find the new music that in many cases is the most vital and cutting edge music out there. As a guy who has had experience trying to get his music heard; these places are so valuable to artists and music fans alike. The synergy is incredible because it is where lives are changed and where artist meets listener. As a kid, the independent record store was so important because I was able to find things that I really cared about and discovered music that mattered to me on a personal level: records and music that set my imagination and spirit soaring. It is that important. It is life!”

- Tad Doyle ( TAD)

"well it's pretty simple.....record stores have people in them. actual people. people working. people shopping. people listening. people eating. people dancing. people smoking. people laughing. people drinking. sounds pretty cool to me."

- Aaron Espinoza (EARLIMART)

“I love the experience of shopping at an independent record shop. It doesn't look or feel like a chain. The chain store has the interests of the masses at heart. But when you walk into an indie shop you know you are in a place that has your individual interest at heart.”

- Steve DePace (drummer, FLIPPER)

“Record stores are cultural gathering places where people go to share a common interest...their love for music. They are nostalgia and hot summer days. Record stores are ditching class to buy a record the day it comes out. They are Amoeba, Rasputin, and Aquarius and the distinct smell of the old records in the basement of the local mom and pop store. The record store is Run DMC on cassette tape. They are Iron Maiden posters, metal t-shirts and the magazine rack. The record store is a yellow and red Tower Records bag littered with CD labels. They are the listening stations, in store performances/signings, and staff recommendations. They are the used and local section and the free publications and zines at the front door. They are distributors of a product made up of dreams, effort, and heart that have the capability to change lives and outlooks, determine individuality, and divide or unite. ”

- Gavin (lead singer, DREDG)

"I've watched my favorite local record store shutdown after 10+ years of operation and dozens of purchases. For me, there is a big emotional connection between the purchase and first play of a record. I own a lot of music and most of it tells a story of how I found it and what part of my life it relates to. The quest for new and exciting music is only possible at a place where true talent influences the records that are being pushed. For myself, I tour all over the world and make a point to hunt down an indie store in as many places as I can. There is nothing more self-gratifying than discovering a store and making a rare purchase of something you have been searching for."

- Paul Koehler (drummer, SILVERSTEIN)

“rock'n'roll needs to be seen, touched, smelled, and tasted just as much as heard. i want the tactile, visceral, physical guts of it all. i want to unroll the poster, open the gatefold, explore the cover art and the liner notes...I want a totem that exists in the physical world, and record stores are to The Beatles, James Brown and Madonna what the botanicas are to the saints, Jesus and Mary... We just want the blood and filth of real life and the purity of ecstatic transcendence - neither of which are available at Wal Mart. ”

- Sammy James, Jr. (The Mooney Suzuki)

“A record store is a place where I go to get lost and then found again. It’s like my therapy. Whenever I need to find inspiration for my music, I go to my favorite record store called Bleecker Street Records, which was around the corner from my first apartment in NYC. I just walk around aimlessly looking at album covers of my heroes. It’s the only place where I can still buy the old classics as well as discovering the new ones. ”

- Matt White

It was in a tiny little Record Store back in the early Sixties in my Hometown of Hannover, West Germany , where I put the headphones on to listen to a rare song that was really hard to find in those days. "My Bonnie" by Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers (later known as The Beatles ) rocked my heart and started a passion that never left me..... RECORD STORE DAY FOREVER.......Cheers, Klaus Meine, Scorpions

- Klaus Meine (Scorpions)

"Independent Record Stores are one of the Last surviving cornerstones of this business we call "The Music Industry." Indie Record Stores represent everything that was and is Music. To this day when you walk into an unknown store for the first time there is a certain musical mystique and warmth you can't get at any corporate chain store. It feels like you're about to discover music for the first time all over again. And just when you thought you knew everything there is to know about music or bands you always find one more album that blows your mind and for the life of you, you can't figure out how this record ever slipped past your musical genius. Unlike today's music world, Indie stores have remained true to themselves, held on to their innocence, speak their own opinions and continue to believe that music will change the world."

- Sonny (P.O.D.)

"I've shopped at the world famous Schoolkids Records in chapel hill and raleigh, NC my whole life. I still stop in at least once a week, buying records is the proper way to love and nurture music as well as musicians. There are some stinky musicmakers in the world, they need your help to buy soap and maybe some old spice.”

- Mike Robinson (Annuals)

"As a new artist, the independent music scene is a way of life for me. What I hear from my fan peeps is that they are interested in purchasing music in many formats. Long Island is unique in that the indie record store is part of our community fabric. It's cool that I purchased my music in my hometown store in Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island; and now as a recording artist, I have an opportunity to share that excitement with music fans in an intimate way. I look forward to joining my hometown store, Record Stop in what will be part of a day long record celebration on Long Island!”

- amberRose Marie

"I was introduced to lots of great music through my local record store. It was a place where people knew music and they knew me, and could make great suggestions and discoveries. Whether it is in the physical world or on-line, the value of a great and knowledgeable record store has not gone away"

- Peter Gabriel

"When I was a kid the indy record store was the basket house of my generation. It was a hub where I could go to hang out and hear music that the radio sure as hell was never going to play. I was exposed to new artists and I met like minded listeners. Sometimes an artist would actually come in to the store and perform or at least "meet the people," and to me that was the epitome of cool. Without the inspiration I was exposed to by my local record store I would never have been able to make the music that has made me a happier person. It is important that we support the remaining independent stores so that we can preserve the whole food chain that stretches from the artists' hands to the listener's ears. So skip the big box retailers and their price point indices, vote for the little guy, and while you're at it, why not ask your local indy record store when they are going to start serving coffee??"

- Dave Schools (Widespread Panic)

"Moonlit strolls?? Fancy pants dinners?? No thanks, I would prefer to fall in love in the aisle of an independent record shop. See you there... "

- Bryan Garza (Scissors For Lefty)

"Growing up, I couldn't wait to go my local indie record store and be able to get something that no big chain store had. Whether it be an import or some kind or a rare black light poster, indie stores were way cooler"

- Jeremy (Five Finger Death Punch)

"A place where you go to escape everyday stresses & hang out with your imaginary friends."

- Jason Wade (Lifehouse)

“Going into independent record stores has always been one of the best parts of going on tour for me. Sonic Boom Records and Easy Street are kick ass stores in Seattle and have been where I buy music pretty exclusively when I'm home. These stores definitely still exist and kids should go into them and buy a record whenever they can.”

- Rocky Votolato

"At the risk of sounding over the top, like book stores, I think of the "Record Store" as a holy place. Especially ones that are Independent and carry vinyl. I've been going into them since around 1970 and sometimes I will stay there for hours perusing the selection. Often I won't come away with a thing but sometimes I will leave with an empty wallet or at least that one thing that's just right for my mood or that I've been searching for for a long time. Either way, I feel it's time spent well. I absolutely adore a great record store."

- Marc Teamaker

"My favorite part about independent record stores is the dedication to music. The bigger chains could be selling records, soap or burritos and wouldn't know the difference. From the higher ups to the counter people to the stock boys, the indies know their product and love it"

- Anthony Raneri (vocalist/guitarist, BAYSIDE)

my first job was in a basement record store on cornelia street, just off the corner of sixth avenue and west 4th street in manhattan. it was called record runner at the time. i was seventeen. i'd made friends with the owner and when he went on tour with his band, he asked me to cover for him. i worked by myself. the store was being sold to a new owner soon, so no new stock was coming in. we didn't take credit cards. there were stacks of old british rock magazines. all i did was sell, listen, read and snack. it's still the best job i ever had.

when nada surf got dropped after our first album and i couldn't pay the rent anymore, i worked at earwax in williamsburg. part of the charm of that store was how idiosyncratically it was stocked. the store's contents reflected the taste of the owners and the people working there long enough to put in orders. plenty of vietnamese psych-rock but no elvis costello. i think they have some now, but i'm sure there's something else "standard" they don't have. on sundays i worked with alex holden, who ended up drawing the cover of the weight is a gift. it's still the other best job i ever had.

unless there's somewhere i have to be in a hurry, i go into every record store i see. when one closes, i mourn the loss. i have made great acquaintances and a few life-long friends there. music has given me more wonder, solace and excitement than anything else in life. it is great that it's so easy to get music online, but there is nothing like flipping through stacks of the real thing. and with SO MUCH music out there, having a real person curate a real store is completely invaluable and irreplaceable.

please go visit at least one store on record store day. buy at least one record or cd. you'll be doing your part to conserve a priceless institution.

- Matthew Caws (NADA SURF)

"Man, if it weren't for Bill's Records and Tapes I would've been an accountant like my dad. I love my dad, but thank God for Bill's."

- Ryan Miller (Guster)

“Nothing will ever — EVER — replace the power of walking into a record store and having another living, breathing human being — whether it’s a fellow shopper or friendly clerk or complete stranger — point you toward something and say, ‘You HAVE to listen to this, trust me.” I have no problem with texts or DMs or the internet as a whole but believe me when I say: The best music, books, movies, comics or any other type of art will be created by someone passing along, eyeball-to-eyeball, secret and cherished knowledge. That’s why Record Store Day will save the future.”

- Patton Oswalt

"Vinyl is just the best way to hear music, unless you have a 2” 16 track machine in your living room. The sound, the packaging, all bigger, all better, and much easier to roll joints on! Record stores are the best places to find and buy music; part museum, part community center, always worth an hour of your time-go to a record store. GO TO A RECORD STORE THIS RECORD STORE DAY!!"

- Cheetah Chrome (Dead Boys)

"Independent record stores were the safe haven of my youth. A magical world where no one cared that I was different, where I could find out about incredible music that was not being played on the radio. The list of life-saving/life-changing artists that I was exposed to in places like Schoolkids, Poindexter Records (where I eventually worked) and the Record Exchange would go on for miles. To try to represent a few different genres, let's say Gregory Isaacs, Lester Young, Dr. Octagon, Jean Shepard, Van Duren, Lavern Baker, Glen Glenn, all worthy of adoration/admiration, all of whom I was exposed to in the record stores of my youth. It's no exaggeration to say that the music I make today - from which I make part of my livelihood - would probably not exist were it not for those record stores."

- John Howie Jr.

"Indie record stores were the only music teachers I ever had. The world would be a dark and lonely place without them."

- Neko Case

"I moved to New York City in 1972, when St. Marks Place was the center of the rock 'n' roll universe, the New York Dolls ruled and you could buy every vinyl record imaginable at cheap prices. I remember buying the first Stooges record at Freebeing and a couple of years later I attended the first ever Ramones record signing. No one showed up. I think I was the only person to ask for an autograph. By the 1990s there were almost a dozen record stores and several clubs featuring live music in the neighborhood. Yes, those days are gone but a lot of people seem to want to keep that spirit alive. The best time to do this is on Record Store Day. Who knows? Maybe there's a rock 'n' roll band out there who, like the Ramones, will reignite the rock scene."

- John Holmstrom (Punk Magazine)

"I stole my first record at 14... a God Save The Queen 7". I immediately felt guilty, although Johnny Rotten might actually have been proud of me if he had known. The first album I bought was Bob Dylan's Planet Waves. I wore it out within weeks. A bit later, I checked out a bunch of records from the public library. My dad broke ‘em all because I played them too loud. He was happy to pay the fine. I have been using my Mom’s Audio Technica turntable from the 80s. It recently died, so I went out and bought a new Audio Technica. Now it's time to go record shopping!"

- Paul Wallfisch (SWANS)

"Back in the late 1960s when I was a lad, small independent record shops were the only ones around. In my home town of Coventry there was only one, Jill Hansons, so finding the records you wanted was hard unless you went to Birmingham or London. I remember one time on holiday at 13 years old, I bought Jimi Hendrix Smash Hits at a very small shop in Brixham, a Fishing Village in Devon county. It drove me crazy as I was on holiday with my family, because I had to wait TWO WEEKS before I could play it when I got home! It's smashing what Record Store Day has done to bring vinyl records from my youth back."

- Roddy Radiation (The Specials)

"Even though cassettes and CDs are smaller and easy to carry and play in your car, there is still nothing comparable to the sound of a needle passing through grooves of pressed petroleum. And that’s just the music part; there’s also a matter of the artwork and lyric sheet. An album you can totally hold in your hands and can include lots of cool stuff inside like pictures, flyers, and lyrics sheets you can actually read without a magnifying glass. I have always collected vinyl and always will!"

- Rikk Agnew

"With independent record stores, the selection is far more vast. The vinyl is also priced well, and the inventory changes practically day by day. I also sincerely enjoy the friendships I strike up with the independent record store owners."

- Michael Quercio (The Three O'Clock)

"I like record stores. All of them. I loved Tower Records at 4th and Broadway, I loved the original Virgin Records in London - where I first sneaked away from school to go and smell the patchouli and put headphones on to listen to Led Zeppelin III. Magical. Of course, there are really only indie stores left, now. We have Newbury Comics up here in MA - more like “lifestyle” stores, now, but like our fabulous Senior Senator, they persist. It is where my daughter buys records; and where she has learned to put ‘Entertainment’ at the front of the bins. I promise I didn’t teach her that…it must be in the DNA. She and I buy different records, but she has great taste; not very indie, but hell - that Harry Styles record sounds really good on the turntable. I’ll do my small bit to keep vinyl records going - whether they be old or new, reissues or first-timers. I have good friends in Athens, GA who make them. They make them really well. I want them to stay in business, to grow, to spread, to fester! Streaming is great. But slowing down my day every now and then to get all tactile, to rifle through and choose, to pull it out and blow off the non-existent dust, to put it on the deck, to let the needle (OK, tech-nerds, stylus) gently drop, and retreat? It is a good thing. Go and buy a record. Buy two - a new one and an old one. And thank the person behind the counter for doing their bit."

- Hugo Burnham (Gang of Four)

"Sorting, sifting, admiring the art, eager to buy it, anxious to get home to play it and display it. Going into a record store is an experience and thank god it's not one that can be downloaded. Some shit just can't be downloaded. Record Store Day is a reminder to all of us that music is a thoughtful, curated experience that goes far beyond the download. So let's keep our local record stores alive."

- Hannah Hooper (Grouplove)

“Folks who work here are professors. Don't replace all the knowers with guessors keep'em open they're the ears of the town”

- Tom Waits

"I love the variety that an independent record store provides. I have a very diverse taste in music and sometimes what MOST would consider garbage is like finding GOLD for me! Record Store Day is a lot of fun because it FEELS like something is "happening" even if I'm not interested in all of the releases....Record freaks going wild over records.....a great time if you ask me!"

- Jeff Clayton (AntiSEEN)

“I think it’s high time the mentors, big brothers, big sisters, parents, Guardians, and neighborhood ne’er do wells, start taking younger people That look up to them To a real record store and show them what an important part of life music really is. I trust no one who hasn’t time for music. What a shame to Leave a child, or worse, a generation orphaned from one of life’s great beauties. And to the record stores, artists, labels, dj’s, and journalists; we’re all in this together. Show respect for the tangible music that you’ve dedicated your careers and lives to, and help It from becoming nothing more than disposable digital data.”

- Jack White

"I bought my first single at Discount Records in Ann Arbor, Michigan when I was 12 years old - The Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA" b/w "Shut Down." It was 99 cents, and Iggy Pop was working at the store counter! Since then I have listened to records until the early morning hours countless times. All my musical inspiration comes from that. My friendship with Rob Younger, which led eventually to us starting Radio Birdman together, was based on our mutual love of vinyl records, and listening to them as a shared experience. My wife, and most of my friends, have worked in independent record stores. God only knows what I'd be without vinyl."

- Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman)

"There’s nothing as glamorous to me as a record store. When I recently played Amoeba in LA, I realised what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I’m more than happy to support Record Store Day and I hope that these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come. Cheers!"

- Paul McCartney

"The gatefolds are what really did it for me. I don't know if Sgt. Pepper’s was the first, but if anything made a band larger than life, it was the gatefold. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Blind Faith, Pink Floyd, Queen... twice the image surface area to look at while listening to, and experiencing, this life-altering euphony. Music was everything to me. Aficionados from my generation probably remember playing their newly acquired 45s to their friends over the telephone line. Hermosa Beach had a Music+ store on Pacific Coast Highway. They used to sell import picture sleeve Beatles EPs, which was super rad. Recycled Records eventually opened up next door to Music+, offering many independent labels’ catalogs. A ’real record’ then became my professional goal as a budding musician, an accomplishment that a compact cassette could never wholly satisfy."